Ida Baker is top dog at LCAC boys golf championship

Ida Baker's boys golf team shot a 311 total to win the LCAC Championship on Monday. Estero's Luke Farmer shot a 2-under 70 to win medalist honors for the third year in a row. Here's a look at some of the action from Heron's Glen.
Bryan

Ida Baker's boys golf team took a weekend trip to Heron's Glen Golf and Country Club to scope out the site of Monday's Lee County Athletic Conference Championship, hoping it would pay dividends when it mattered the most.

On a hot and breezy a day in which shot selection and stamina were tested the most, the Bulldogs rose to the challenge as senior Mason Kiernan's 72 spearheaded Ida Baker's 311 to defeat defending LCAC champion Estero by six strokes.

"The boys came up here and did their homework on the course and it paid off for us," Bulldog head coach Scott Conforte said.

Kiernan, a transfer from Bishop Verot, has been the No. 1 player for the Bulldogs all season long, and has been consistently one of the top performers in Lee County.

"We were grateful that Mason came to us and he's been terrific all year," Conforte said.

"He's been the medalist in every match we've had, and he came up a few shots short today but going up against these teams like Estero and Cypress Lake aren't easy."

Estero senior and reigning News-Press Boys Golfer of the Year Luke Farmer had a blazing start, carding five birdies in his first seven holes but fought some loose shots coming home as he posted a 2-under 70 to win medalist honors in this event for the third straight season.

Farmer, who will tee it up for FGCU next season, started on the ninth hole and birdied 12 through 15, but had difficulties with the wind and fatigue going 18 holes for the first time all season due to Hurricane Irma cutting into the season.

"I think I did get a little bit tired out there toward the end of the round, but I just hung on at the end," Farmer said.

"My chipping was really good today and I think I got up and down every time off the green which was really huge."

Playing in the lead group with Farmer were Kiernan and Cypress Lake's Tyler Humphrey, who held their own until the end as each finished two shots back with 72s.

Hurricane Irma's impact on the golf season altered the schedule for many teams, and Monday's event marked the first 18-hole match for many of the players. With just one week remaining until district tournaments next Monday and Tuesday, teams are getting their last preparation heading into the playoffs.

Ida Baker has won its district the past two seasons and will go for three in a row on Monday at Shell Point.

"We will have to do our homework again this weekend to try and get ready," Conforte said.

"Teams like Cypress Lake will be after us again, so we know it will be tough. We don't want to give that district title up."